Starcraft: Worlds Apart
by Herr Doktor
Summary: The universe is full of many mysteries, including ugly aliens and enigmatic xenomorphs. What's a poor human to do?


AN: This story was up before I went through and wiped most of my stories off FF. I eventually took it down-it was called "Starcraft: Will of the Universe" and will start out similarly.

_Computer Log 14: Nothing to report. Holding in orbit above uncategorized planet 17A, with organic life forms detected. Relaying Admiral Jerome's ship log._

WE ARE HOLDING IN ORBIT ABOVE 17A. I SUGGEST NAMING IT SOON. IT HAS A VERY MINERAL RICH SURFACE, ACCORDING TO DISTANCE SCANS. WE HAVE DETECTED ORGANIC BEINGS OF UNKNOWN NATURE BELOW THE SURFACE. PERHAPS THESE ARE THE XENOMORPHS RECENTLY DISCOVERED-I BELIEVE THEY HAVE STARTED CALLING THEM ZERG?

WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THESE 'ZERG', BUT IF THEY ARE HERE, WE WILL INVESTIGATE. I AM HAVING ALL THE TECHNICIANS PREP THE SIGMA RADIATION BROADCASTERS. WE WILL LAUNCH A COUPLE OF SHUTTLES TOWARDS THE SURFACE TO CHECK THE LZ FOR THE MAIN SHUTTLE. WE ARE NOW JOINED BY EXPERIMENTAL-CLASS SCIENCE VESSEL: JACKSON III. I DO NOT LIKE ITS OPERATOR, ADMIRAL JESS. SHE IS AN INTIMIDATING WOMAN. HOWEVER, IF THERE REALLY ARE ZERG HERE, SHE KNOWS MORE THAN I ABOUT THESE THINGS. THEY'RE SAYING NOW THAT THE SMALL AMOUNT OF ZERG WE DISCOVERED AND DISSECTED MAY BE ONLY A FEW OF MANY.

WE DO NOT KNOW ON HOW MANY PLANETS THE ZERG ARE SPREAD. BUT THESE ARE DEPRESSING THOUGHTS FOR ANOTHER TIME. I'M GOING TO GO GET A DRINK.

_Slight fluctuation in hull pressure in lower quarters. Nothing significant to report. Technicians have identified and repaired the hull warp. Relaying Admiral Jerome's ship log._

DISTURBING NEWS FROM JESS. HER CREW ATTEMPTED TO CLONE THESE 'ZERG'. HOWEVER, HER SCIENTISTS GOT A DIFFERENT ORGANISM THEN THEY STARTED WITH. WE THOUGHT THE ZERG WERE DOG-LIKE, MONSTEROUS LITTLE THINGS WITH CLAWS. WHEN HER TEAM COMBINED SOME ZERG BIO-MASS AND THE XENO-DNA, THEY GOT A SNAKE-LIKE MONSTER. IT ALSO SEEMS THAT COMPLETE CLONING IS NOT POSSIBLE WITH THE ZERG; THEY'RE DNA MATRIX IS FAR TOO DIVERSE. THE CREATURE DID NOT DEVELOP INTERNAL ORGANS OR COMPLETE CARAPACE COVERINGS. SOMEONE COMMENTED IT LOOKS LIKE A HYDRA, A MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE. IT IS NOT ALIVE, BECAUSE THE TECHNICIANS FAILED TO MAKE THE ORGANS DEVELOP.

JESS SAYS THERE MAY BE MANY KINDS OF ZERG. WE KNOW SO LITTLE-AND I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL LIKE THE ZERG WILL SURPRISE US WHEN WE POKE TOO DEEP. WE MIGHT IGNORE THEM AS RANDOM CRITTERS IF THEY HAD NOT TORN APART A SMALL OUTPOST.

MY OWN LAB CREW HAS BEEN ANALYZING THE BIO SAMPLES THE JACKSON III GAVE US. THEY SAY THAT THERE ARE MANY UNIQUE, UNDEVELOPED STRANDS IN THE ALIEN'S CODE; LEFTOVER DNA, THEY SAY. UNUSED, POINTLESS. BUT MY CHIEF SCIENTIST THINKS DIFFERENTLY. HE PULLED ME ASIDE, AND SAID THAT IT LOOKS LIKE EACH STRAND IS FULLY CAPABLE OF DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT ONLY A SPECIFIC STRAND IS USED TO CREATE ONE ORGANISM. HE SAYS THE DIVERSITY IS AMAZING, ALMOST DISTURBING. I TRUST HIM. KEITH GREW UP WITH ME. HE LOVED SCIENCE, AND I LOVED COMBAT. I SPENT A COUPLE OF YEARS PILOTING A WRAITH, BEFORE KEITH GOT ME ON THIS VESSEL. HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. BUT HE SUGGESTED WE DESTROY THE SAMPLES, AND THAT'S TOO MUCH. I TOLD HIM THAT WE'LL MONITOR THE SAMPLES FOR NOW, AND THAT IF THEY BECOME I PROBLEM I'LL LAUNCH IT OUT THE AIRLOCK MYSELF.

THE GROUND TEAM REPORTS THAT OUR SCANS ARE ACCURATE. PLENTY OF PLANT-LIFE, AND A FEW SIMPLE ORGANISMS. THEY REPORT FISH.

JESS BROUGHT HER SHIP TO THE SURFACE FIRST. SHE'S SETTING UP BASE CAMP WHILE WE REMAIN IN ORBIT TO COLLECT SOME ASTEROID DEBRIS. LAST NIGHT, KEITH WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ALONE. HE KEPT PESTERING ME TO DESTROY THE SAMPLES. HE SAID THAT HIS INSTINCTS WERE TELLING HIM THEY WERE DANGEROUS. BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. I HATED TO DO IT, BUT I USED MY RANK TO ORDER HIM AWAY. I FEEL BAD, BUT HE'S BEING PARANOID.

MY LAB CREW SAYS THE SAMPLE IS GROWING, AND THEY ARE EXCITED FOR IT. THEY HOPE TO HAVE MORE MATERIAL TO ANALYZE LATER. PERHAPS I CAN FINALLY SHOW UP JESS'S SCREW. I SWEAR SHE PULLED SOME STRINGS TO GET THE BEST SCIENTISTS ON HER CREW. NOT THAT KEITH IS BAD, BUT HER CREW ALL HAS AN IQ OF LIKE-SEVEN THOUSAND.

_Explorer-Class Science Vessel: Broken Marrow; Commanded by Admiral Jerome_

_Computer Log 17: Nothing to report. Relaying Admiral Jackson's ship log._

KEITH HAS GONE TOO FAR. LAST NIGHT, AS WE DESCENDED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, HE INCINERATED SOME OF THE SAMPLES. I UNDERSTAND HIS CONCERN, BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. LUCKILY, SOME OF THE OTHER SAMPLES WERE WITH MY OTHER SCIENTISTS. I'VE HAD HIM TEMPORARILY REMOVED FROM HIS POSITION AS CHIEF SCIENTIST. IT'S FOR THE BEST.

JESS'S CREW SET UP TUNNELING SCAN EQUIPMENT OVER THE AREAS WHERE WE PICKED UP ORGANIC SIGNATURES UNDERGROUND. THE SCANS ARE ONLY 25% COMPLETE, BUT THEY'VE ALREADY CREATED A MAP OF A CAVE SYSTEM. THEY CAN'T YET DETECT ORGANIC MATTER, BUT THE SCANS SHOULDN'T TAKE TOO LONG TO PICK THEM UP.

KEITH SENT ME A MESSAGE SAYING HE WAS SORRY. I SHOULD GO SEE HIM.

_System Log Damaged: Skipping to Next Functional Input…_

WHY WAS I SO STUPID? WHY? WHY?

I CAN'T FEEL MY RIGHT FOOT. THERE'S SO MUCH BLOOD. KEITH WAS RIGHT-HE WAS RIGHT! HE DIED TO SAVE ME, THE ONE WHO DEMOTED HIM! I'M A DAMNED IDIOT.

I'VE LOCKED MYSELF IN THE COMMAND CENTER'S CONTROL ROOM, AND I'M UPLOADING THIS LOG LIVE. I'LL WRITE AS MUCH AS I CAN. THE SCIENCE VESSEL WAS DESTROYED. WHAT WERE THOSE THINGS? LIKE GIANT BATS, LAUNCHING THESE GOUTS OF ACID. THERE WERE SO MANY OF THE ORIGINAL ZERG WE FOUND, THE DOG-LIKE THINGS. BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE.

WE FINISHED THE SCANS A WEEK AGO. JESS SEEMED TROUBLED. SCANS INDICATE UNIDENTIFIED BIO-SIGNATURES. PHYSICAL RENDITION SCANS CREATED IMAGES OF VAST CAVERNS FILLED WITH STRANGE, MOUNTAINOUS MASSES. WE ALSO PICKED UP MOVEMENT.

WE BEGAN MINING OPERATIONS TWO DAYS AGO, AND THAT'S WHEN HELL POURED FROM THE PLANET'S MAW.

THE SCV'S DUG INTO THE SIDE OF A MINERAL-RICH HILL. THEY OPENED UP A CAVE ENTRANCE AND BEGAN MINING.

I REMAINED ON THE SCIENCE VESSEL, OBSERVING FROM AFAR. I WATCHED AS THE SCVS, ON THE SECOND DAY, WERE OVERRUN BY THESE…THINGS. WHAT ARE THEY? THEY SEEM SO EVOLVED, SO PERFECTLY DESIGNED FOR DESTRUCTION. THE THINGS TORE THROUGH OUR SOLDIER'S ARMOR. WE HAD A COUPLE OF CRUCIO TANKS, PURELY TO HELP WITH CARVING OUT THE MOUNTAINSIDE. THEY WERE A BIT SURPRISED TO TURN THEIR CANNONS ON THE ALIENS, BUT SEEMS THESE THINGS BLEED LIKE ANYTHING ELSE.

TOO BAD THE TANKS WERE TORN APART BY OUR OWN MEN.

I HAD TO GO DOWN IN A DROP POD, BECAUSE THOSE BAT-LIKE MONSTERS CAME FROM OVER A NEARBY MOUNTAIN RANGE. WE TARGETED SOME SIGMA RADIATION ON THEM. IT KILLED A FEW, BUT THERE WERE HUNDREDS. HUNDREDS.

I WAS IN TIME TO WATCH OUR OWN SOLDIERS TEAR APART THE TANKS. BUT ARE THEY REALLY OUR SOLDIERS?

THEY'RE COVERED IN STICKY, DARK SUBSTANCES. CLAWS. SOME HAD CLAWS. SOME HAD SPINES. AND THEY-AND THEY _SPOKE_ TO ME.

AS I RAN FOR THE COMMAND CENTER, ONE OF THEM STOOD IN THE DOORWAY, TRYING TO TEAR THE STICKY STUFF OFF HIS HANDS. HE WAS ALREADY CHANGING. HIS EYES WERE YELLOW, TEETH SHARPENING. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "RUN."

I HAD MY PISTOL. I PUT A BULLET IN THE POOR MAN'S HEAD. STARS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN END THESE THINGS?

THE HALLWAYS WERE COATED IN THE SLIME. ONE MAN WAS PINNED TO THE WALL. HE WAS ONE OF MY SCIENTISTS. I THINK IT WAS JEFFREY-THE BIOLOGIST. HE WAS HELD BY FLESHY CHORDS. A MASK OF GOO COVERED HIS MOUTH AND NOSE.

SITTING HERE NOW, I'M STARTING TO REMEMBER THINGS. SIGN OF BLOOD LOSS. AH, I'M DONE FOR. WE ARGUED ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, US HUMANS, BUT THEY SEEM SO POINTLESS NOW. WE FOUGHT ABOUT DRUG USAGE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SEXUALITY, MEDICAL MORALS, TERRITORY. ALL OF THAT-WE'LL STILL FIGHT OVER IT, EVEN AS THESE THINGS TEAR US APART FROM WITHIN. HOW MANY PLANETS ARE THEY ALREADY ON? HOW MANY OF OUR OWN PEOPLE ARE INFECTED? DOES THE INFECTION CARRY IN THE BLOODSTREAM? IS IT THE STICKY GOO?

KEITH. ON THE SCIENCE VESSEL, WE WERE UNABLE TO ESCAPE THE THINGS. WE TRIED TO DO A WARP JUMP, BUT THE WARP DRIVES WERE COVERED IN THE SLIME. IT HAD COME FROM A BIO SAMPLE ONE OF THE SCIENTISTS HAD LEFT IN HIS ROOM. THE DRIVES WERE FROZEN-USELESS.

I SHOULD HAVE LET KEITH BURN THEM ALL.

AND BEFORE I GOT IN THIS ROOM, I WAS PINNED DOWN MY A MARINE IN FULL COMBAT ARMOR. ONLY HE HAD A THIRD EYE GROWING UNDER HIS RIGHT EYE.

"_I CAN'T! THE VOICES-MY HEAD-THE VOICES! DIE!"_

KEITH SHOT HIM, AND HELD OFF THE REST AS I RAN LIKE A DAMN COWARD. I WAS THE MILITARY EXPERT, AND HE WAS THE SCIENTIST, AND I RAN.

ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT IS MALFUNCTIONING. I THINK THE SLIME CORRODES METAL, AND HAS EATEN THROUGH SOME OF THE SYSTEM'S PARTS.

THEY'RE ALL DEAD.

AND SOON.

I WILL BE AS WELL.

I AM OUT OF AMMUNITION. I CAN'T EVEN END MY OWN MISERABLE LIFE.

ALL MILITARY STRUCTURES HAVE A SELF-DESTRUCT FEATURE, FOR EMERGENCIES, OR WHEN SECURITY BREACH IS IMMINENT.

IF I AM TO DIE HERE…

THESE THINGS ARE DYING WITH ME.

_The Broken Marrow's crew was annihilated. The Jackson III was destroyed. It's sole surviving crew member was brought to Tarsonis when he escaped in a lone dropship, but was shortly sent to a mental facility when he claimed he'd seen monsters that infected humans to turn them against each other._


End file.
